Billionaire Vows To Stop Donations To Columbia University Over Students' Protest Against Israel

Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman has vowed to stop donating to Columbia University after students at the Ivy League school held protests critical of Israel during its ongoing war with Hamas operatives. In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Mr Cooperman, who himself is a Columbia University graduate, was asked about his thoughts on the student protest at the school as well as similar demonstrations at other Ivy League universities. 

"I think these kids at the colleges have shit for brains," the 80-year-old chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors told the outlet, adding, "We have one reliable ally in the Middle East - that's Israel. We only have one democracy in the Middle East - that's Israel, okay? And we have one economy tolerant of different people - gays, lesbians, etc. And that's Israel". "So I have no idea what these young kids are doing," Mr Cooperman said. 

Further, the billionaire went on to say that he will "suspend" his donation to the university and giving to "other organizations" unless he sees a "change" from the administration, which thus far has refused to condemn a tenured professor who called Hamas' attacks against Israel "awesome."

"Now, the real shame is I've given to Columbia probably about $50 million over many years," Mr Cooperman told Fox News. "And I'm going to suspend my giving. I'll give my giving to other organizations," he said. Mr Cooperman also stated that he told administrators to "fire this professor". 

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"I mean, war is hell. War is not good for anybody, but to praise what Hamas did is disgraceful, disgusting," he said, referencing comments made by politics and history professor Joseph Massad, who called Hamas' attacks on Israel a "stunning victory" in an article he published on The Electronic Intifada a day after the conflict ignited.

Notably, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has set off tensions at some universities, with some students protesting in favour of Palestinians and influential alumni threatening to cut off donations. According to Forbes, at least two other billionaires have vowed to stop giving money to elite universities or caused other stirs over similar controversies. 

At the University of Pennsylvania, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan accused the university of antisemitism and called on donors to "close their chequebooks' until the school's president and board chair resign. At Harvard University, billionaire Bill Ackman publicly criticized a group of students who released a letter blaming Israel for Hamas' attack earlier this month, calling for their names to be released so they don't get hired.